Chimney Point

Exhibits

Permanent exhibit inside museum:

People of the Dawn, People of New FranceThe history of the two earliest cultures in the Lake Champlain region, the Abenaki and the French, are revealed through artifacts discovered in archaeological investigations, other cultural objects, and short films. See stone tools from the earliest human habitation here, about 9,000 years ago, evidence of the French habitation from 1731 to 1759, and their continuing presence in the Champlain Valley.

Chimney Point Post OfficeIn this tiny post office you’ll learn about the long history of the Chimney Point post office and postmark.

Chimney Point HistoryIn the oldest tap room on Lake Champlain, exhibit panels explain the history of the Chimney Point tavern building. Displays in the first floor hall look at the enterprises of the Barnes Family, which owned the property from 1821 to 1966, and the history of the Lake Champlain crossing here, including the ferries and 1929 Lake Champlain Bridge.

Collector’s CabinetPull open the drawers in the collector’s cabinet to see artifacts, dating from 6,000 years ago to around 1,600 A.D., that two 20th century collectors found in western Vermont and eastern New York. Learn how stone tools and pottery were made by the region’s first inhabitants.

Outdoor exhibit:

Chimney Point History TrailComing in 2013 is a short walking trail with interpretive signs around the Chimney Point grounds. Topics include evidence of the earliest human habitation 9,000 years ago, Native American history and use of this strategic location, the 1731 French fort and French occupation, the 1790s redware pottery of Moses Bradley, archaeology under the 1929 Lake Champlain bridge, and the history and engineering of the bridge.

2013 Season Exhibit:

What Lies Beneath: 9,000 Years of History at Chimney PointHighlights of the exciting archeological findings from the 2009-2013 Lake Champlain Bridge project are presented in this exhibit by the University of Vermont Consulting Archeology Program and guest curator Kate Kenny. See evidence of the 9,000 years of human habitation and why Chimney Point has been such a strategic location on Lake Champlain.